The present invention relates generally to the field of relative navigation systems and methods of relative navigation. Relative navigation systems are useful for various applications such as autonomous vehicle navigation, mid-air refueling, and space docking. In some applications, only the range between two objects is required. More particularly, the invention relates to Optoelectronic instrumentation systems and the generation and use of OFCGs (Optical Frequency Combs Generators) for determining the relative position of a target.
Relative navigation systems are useful for various applications such as autonomous vehicle navigation, mid-air refueling, and space docking. In some applications the range and the relative attitude (pitch, yaw, and roll) between two objects are required. Such information is typically gathered as a time series and used to make course corrections in one or more of the objects to enable a desired maneuver or final relative position.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,326,523 discloses a method of determining a range between first and second objects with relative movement, where a plurality of grid lines from a first origin point on the first object are projected into space. Each of the grid lines is modulated to carry a grid word to identify each grid line within the grid. The grid lines and the corresponding grid words are detected from at least three locations having a predetermined triangular relationship on the second object defining vertices. An angle is based on the location within the grid of each of the vertices. The range between the first and second objects is determined based on the set of angles.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,352,100 describes a method of providing a relative navigation system by projecting a grid defining a first relative reference frame associated with a first origin, the grid being repeatedly detected from a second object having a second relative reference frame associated with a second origin point on a second object. The attitude or range of at least one of the first and second objects is adjusted based on the determined range and relative attitude measured.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,872,081 describes a method for stabilizing a grid projected from a grid generator which includes determining a change in the reference frame of the grid generator relative to prior grid projection, and altering the grid data of a subsequent grid projection such that the subsequent grid projection appears stabilized relative to a prior grid projection.
The above mentioned solutions of the state of the art implement time consuming algorithms for acknowledging the relative position of a target and they usually depend on more than one detector or system, such as two grids, for the detection of, for example, an aircraft.